Day 68 of 460 – Dream Message – The Rings of Saturn
This morning I woke up with the Dream Message “The Rings of Saturn”, which made me start thinking about ideas of Control and Dis-empowerment versus Freedom and Empowerment.
In much astrological thinking the planet Saturn is often described as the “great malefic”, the bringer of sorrows, the harbinger of ruin but according to Alan Oken [1], Saturn can only bring privation to those areas in one’s life which are based on falsehoods and which must change. Saturn forces the individual to give up the illusions and misconceptions which hold him/her back from the liberation and freedom which come through a de-personalisation of the self. In other words Saturn requires a death to the ego (to the selfish self) so that the individuality (the Spirit) can emerge from the depths of one’s physical being.
In many parts of the world the giving up of material possessions can be a very painful process and instead of reaching out to life for opportunities to grow and change, we often set up blocks to change, which cause people to lend themselves towards even greater control through materialism to try and protect themselves from harm or loss. Alan Oken advises that “in fact this process negates itself, because he who is selfish must know fear”.
With the incredible loss experienced in Australia recently with the bush fires and the current threat to loss of life by Covid-19, the Australian Government has taken the Saturnine roll of exerting greater control of its citizens in order to negate harm and loss, but it raises the question of whether this act is leading to a greater sense of fear or empowerment? In the midst of constraints and limitation being enforced on individuals perhaps there is an opportunity to learn from the teachings of Saturn.
Saturn’s domain is that of time and the Earth, the planet which contains the forces of light and darkness. Saturn serves as the bridge between the two, testing people to choose between one direction or another. Saturn tempts [man] with the illusion of material gain and physical immortality but he or she who eventually passes Saturn’s tests is helped along the Path of Light by the Old Man’s now gentle hand. Personal growth can be achieved but only through the fulfilment of one’s earthly obligations and responsibilities.
It is the energy of Saturn that tests one’s endurance. It brings trials and stumbling blocks so that an individual can gain the strength and widsom he or she needs in order to deal with life’s difficulties. Our government controlled self isolation is one such instance where we are being tested but growth is possible if we take personal responsibility for our behaviour.
Once out of the illusion and testings of the ego, the real Saturn can be seen, that of the immortal soul, within the Rings of Saturn.
[1] Alan Oken’s Complete Astrology